Carrots in fine art works - part one

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Paintings have often been used as sources in historical studies of crops.Carrots have appeared in many great artworks over the years
and in fact came to their rescue when plant biologists were trying to identify
old species and the only records were in paintings such as the ones on this
page.

For example, Gabriel Metsu's Vegetable Market at Amsterdam circa 1661-1662
accurately rendered vegetables and shows the vegetable vendors and their goods
prominently positioned in the foreground, depicted to reflect a recent Dutch
horticultural innovation – including the development of the orange carrot. The
market was close to where he lived.

Metsu's painting also shows the new vegetable; this reflects the artist's
desire to depict the most recent Dutch horticultural innovations rather than to
adhere to outmoded artistic conventions. Metsu's accurate depiction of the Horn
carrot is significant because other artists exercised artistic license in
treating this and similar subjects. Some painters, for example, depicted
vegetables that did not grow at the same time of the year, may never have
existed, or are not recognizable. Metsu chose to honour developments in
contemporary Dutch horticulture with a realistic depiction rather than to resort
to artistic license.

For historical studies of crops, and for
historical studies in general, the choice of sources determines the validity of
the results. In this respect, the use of illustrations, particularly paintings,
remains controversial. It is sometimes possible to determine indirectly whether
a plant was depicted after consulting botanical or agricultural references by
comparing illustrations in such texts with a particular painting. Preserved
specimens, however, must have been used frequently, as is borne out by legacy
statements and by the fact that fruits and vegetables characteristic of
different seasons are often depicted in the same painting. The similar
arrangement of various types of fruits and vegetables across paintings is a
further indication of this, as in Joachim Beuckelaer's Woman Selling Vegetables,
1563.

Paintings may serve as important sources if dated by the painters themselves
or if they can be reliably dated by other means. This is essential for research
in historical studies of crops, as it may affect plant introduction dates.
Knowledge of the particular region in which a painter lived and worked or
travelled may also provide information about the choice of plants concerned.

They have been used as evidence (erroneously!) that the Dutch
"invented" orange rooted carrots for the first time (rather than develop them).

The Horn carrot was depicted for the first time in Gerrit Dou's painting The
Quackoil (or Quacksalver), 1652 - here. The carrots may be
seen on the wheelbarrow to the left and in the basket on the ground to the
right. His depiction of the Horn carrot, for example, reflected a recent Dutch
horticultural innovation.

English writers such as John Parkinson and Samuel Hartlib described the introduction and substantial importation of Dutch
vegetables to England. In his "Legacy of Husbandry", 1651, for example, Hartlib
commented that cabbages, cauliflowers, turnips, carrots, parsnips, rape, and
peas were "few or none in England but what came from Flanders Holland. Source: Art in History:History in Art, studies in 17th century
Dutch culture, Issues and Debates edited by David Freedberg and Jan de Vries
1991

Also illustrations of various carrot colours appeared in many illuminated
manuscripts, some of the surviving examples are shown here - ancient manuscripts. More carrot
art in the
Wikigallery here.

There is no documentary evidence that the Dutch "invented" orange
carrots to honour their Royal Family, the House of orange. A tale, probably
apocryphal, has it that the orange carrot was bred in the Netherlands in
the sixteenth century to honour William of Orange. Though the development
and stabilisation of the orange carrot root does appear to date from
around that period in the Netherlands, it is unlikely that honouring
William of Orange had anything to do with it!

As far as The Carrot Museum is concerned the Dutch developed and
stabilised the orange carrot, in the 16th century. Subsequently the Dutch
people adopted the colour orange and orange carrots as their
national vegetable. There is no written evidence that this was also to
honour their Royal Family. The point is that the orange carrot came first,
Dutch Nationalism second.

In many Dutch paintings of the period the support for the House of
Orange is clearly expressed via a piece of cloth, for example you will see
a ribbon around the male costume and/or an orange banner. It is also
expressed via small bundles of orange (and other colours) carrots
prominently displayed in the centre of paintings or more often in an
obscure position, depending on the level of support for the House of
Orange.

To this day, many in the Netherlands genuinely like to believe that
orange carrots were originally grown specifically as a tribute to the
House of Orange. No matter how many times it is repeated and passed on
through the generations it still remains pure folklore!!

Also check
out the Romantic Carrots of Greg Warren, mis-shapen
carrots turned into works of art, and then eaten!

Note: Most of the paintings depicted have a larger, more detailed version which can be accessed
by clicking on the appropriate picture. They are obviously larger files so
will take a little time to download. Please be patient - they are worth it!

A good example - A Market Scene by Pieter Aertsen,1569 (oil on panel; H 835
mm W 1,695 mm; located in Hallwyl Museum, Sweden) This shows the range of
carrots available, in Holland in the mid 1500's - orange, white and purple
varieties are clearly shown.

The Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox
monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece, dedicated to
Saint Nicholas.

It is recorded in the New Testament
that the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal as celebrated by all
Jewish people for thousands of years - of course Jesus and his disciples
were Jewish.

The Passover celebration has changed little
over the centuries. Still today, one important part of the evening is
tasting "maror" or horseradish.

The maror is one of three items emphasised by Rabbi Gamaliel in the First
Century, so it is almost certain that there would have been horseradish at
what today is called the Last Supper. It is therefore very likely that
what look like carrots in the fresco are actually horseradish.

Vegetable and Flower Market by Arnout de Muyser (detail
right) Oil on canvas early 1600's.

Naples, Museo Gallerie Nazionale di
Capodimonte

One of the earliest depictions of an orange carrot in
works of art - Pieter Aertsen Christ in the Home of Mary and Martha 1553
(oil on panel, Height: 126 cm (49.6 in). Width: 200 cm (78.7 in, location
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam). detail below

This painting is one of the earliest depictions of an orange carrot in a
work of art. Agronomist Otto Banga's original paper tracing the appearance
of orange-coloured carrots to The Netherlands can be found online here;
this more recent paper advances the theory that orange carrots actually
originated in southern Europe.

Kitchen Still Life Pieter Aertsen ca 1551-53 Oil on panel, H
65.4cm;W 91.4cm Ball State University Museum of Art (United States -
Muncie)

Martha is the personification of the busy housekeeper, the active
type, in contrast to her contemplative sister, Mary of Bethany. She
took the initiative in fetching Christ to their house when their
brother Lazarus died. She is the patroness of housewives.